Get Off from a pick-up-only RRB? Blackpool North - Manchester

[hkstudent]

I am planning to do a journey on a Sunday early morning from Blackpool to Manchester City Centre.
It's happy to be able to find a very early RRB service to get to Manchester at 0530. However, it is shocking to find out that it is pick-up only at Manchester Piccadilly for the final destination at Manchester Airport.
In this case, would I be allowed to get off the bus early at Manchester Piccadilly, given that it would stop right at the station approach?

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's very odd indeed and makes very little sense.

The driver is not going to physically restrain you (though may refuse to open the luggage bays), but there is a possibility that if there is nobody wanting it from Piccadilly that it may not stop at all. Also your ticket would technically not be valid.

I'd not rely on it; if your plans don't allow time for going to the airport and coming back, then it's probably a bad idea to plan to use this service.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In this case, would I be allowed to get off the bus early at Manchester Piccadilly, given that it would stop right at the station approach?

It's "Does not set down" at each of the intermediate calling points, including Manchester Piccadilly, so officially "No" and as @Bletchleyite mentions, I reckon that you will probably need a ticket valid to the Airport in order to be permitted to board the bus in the first place.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Though what is interesting is that the Northern timetable here:

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/sites/default/files/templates/N27/2022-05-15-to-2022-12-10-1648645230.pdf

on page 10, does not show these restrictions (other than the missing arrival time at Preston, which is not clear enough for "the man on the Blackpool rail replacement bus" to pick that up), so it's quite possible that it is a mistake.

It may be worth Tweeting Northern pointing this out, as they may be able to correct it if it is an error (though the error could be with the printed timetable!).

Edit: On the other hand, it could be deliberate. There are two main groups of customers (staff aside) who would be attracted to a 4am-ish Sunday morning service from Blackpool to Manchester. One of them is people wanting an early morning flight. The other is people who have spent all night clubbing, are heavily drunk, potentially drugged up and are likely to vomit and possibly urinate everywhere and behave antisocially on board generally. One can guess which one of these groups the railway doesn't really want, least of all on a RRB. Putting in these "pick up only" stops removes it from the planners so they won't see it while still providing for the people wanting the actual airport. So I'd not rule out that they fix this, if reported, by correcting the printed timetable. I wouldn't even rule out that, after incidents, the operator said "we're not doing this any more unless you keep the drunks off".

 

[SargeNpton]

The 0320 bus ex Blackpool is also pick-up only. Looking back into the archives, shows that the same services in the December 2021-May 2022 timetable were the same.

In the other direction though, the 0530 Manchester Airport-Blackpool North bus is pick up & set down at Piccadilly, but set down only at Bolton and Preston.

 

[Titfield]

Edit: On the other hand, it could be deliberate. There are two main groups of customers (staff aside) who would be attracted to a 4am-ish Sunday morning service from Blackpool to Manchester. One of them is people wanting an early morning flight. The other is people who have spent all night clubbing, are heavily drunk, potentially drugged up and are likely to vomit and possibly urinate everywhere and behave antisocially on board generally. One can guess which one of these groups the railway doesn't really want, least of all on a RRB. Putting in these "pick up only" stops removes it from the planners so they won't see it while still providing for the people wanting the actual airport. So I'd not rule out that they fix this, if reported, by correcting the printed timetable. I wouldn't even rule out that, after incidents, the operator said "we're not doing this any more unless you keep the drunks off".

Assuming you risk it, having a word with the driver when boarding and perhaps a crisp £5 might elicit a favourable response.

In my experience most drivers are amenable provided you are not a) taking the pxxx b) pxxxed.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The 0320 bus ex Blackpool is also pick-up only. Looking back into the archives, shows that the same services in the December 2021-May 2022 timetable were the same.

In the other direction though, the 0530 Manchester Airport-Blackpool North bus is pick up & set down at Piccadilly, but set down only at Bolton and Preston.

That's more normal as it allows for early running.

The more I think about it the more I think it is to avoid the drunks. The early morning trains on other days aren't restricted.

 

[scrapy]

In reality no bus driver will stop you getting off. However be prepared that if the bus is full or nearly full it may go direct from Bolton to Manchester Airport and a separate bus be used for passengers boarding at Manchester Piccadilly.